Conventionally, there exists an imaging apparatus which is a foldable hand-held apparatus, such as a mobile phone, and the like, which is provided with a camera to have an imaging function. For example, Patent Document 1 (Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2003-333149) discloses a foldable mobile phone having a camera. The mobile phone includes two foldable housings, and the camera is provided in an outer surface of an upper first housing (which is a surface located on the outside of the mobile phone when the mobile phone is folded). As a shutter button for performing a photographing instruction (an instruction to store data of an image taken by the camera), a first shutter button is provided on an inner surface of a lower second housing (which is a surface located on the inside of the mobile phone when the mobile phone is folded), and a second shutter button is provided on the outer surface of the first housing. When photographing is performed while the mobile phone is opened, a user performs a photographing instruction using the first shutter button.
In the mobile phone disclosed in the Patent Document 1, when the user performs photographing, an operation manner in which the user presses the shutter button with a thumb while holding the lower second housing with one hand is assumed. In other words, the user presses the first shutter button with the thumb while contacting the inner surface of the second housing with a thumb and an outer surface of the second housing with the other fingers (so as to sandwich the second housing between the thumb and the other fingers). In such an operation manner, since the thumb has to be separated from the second housing when pressing the first shutter button, the second housing cannot be firmly held. Thus, it is hard to press the first shutter button, and there is a fear that hand movement occurs when the first shutter button is pressed. As described above, the conventional foldable imaging apparatus has a problem that it is hard to perform a photographing operation of pressing the shutter button.
Therefore, feature of certain exemplary embodiments is to provide an imaging apparatus which is capable of improving operability of a photographing operation.
Certain exemplary embodiments have the following aspects to attain the object mentioned above. It is noted that reference characters and supplementary explanations in parentheses in this section are merely provided to facilitate the understanding of the exemplary embodiments and are not intended to be limiting in any way.
A first aspect is a foldable imaging apparatus comprising: a first imaging section; a first housing (a lower housing 11); a second housing (an upper housing 21); and a connection section (axial portions 11A and 21A). The connection section foldably connects the first housing to the second housing. Further, the imaging apparatus comprises at least one photographing button (buttons 14H and 14G) for performing an instruction to record an image taken by the first imaging section. The at least one photographing button is provided on a side surface of the first housing in a case where an inner surface of the first housing when folded is referred to as a front surface, which side surface is on a side on which the second housing is located when the first housing and the second housing are opened.
In a second aspect, the first imaging section may be provided in an outer surface of the second housing when folded.
In a third aspect, the first imaging section may be located in the outer surface of the second housing and on a side more distant from the connection section than a center of the outer surface of the second housing in an up-down direction. It is noted that, here, the first housing and the second housing are connected to each other one above the other, and a direction in which the first housing and the second housing are connected to each other is referred to as an up-down direction. Further, a direction of an axis by which the first housing and the second housing are connected to each other is referred to as a left-right direction. For example, when the first housing has a horizontally long shape, a longitudinal direction of the first housing may be referred to as a left-right direction.
In a fourth aspect, as the at least one photographing button, first and second buttons may be provided on left and right ends of the side surface, respectively.
In a fifth aspect, the imaging apparatus may further comprise a second imaging section (an inner camera 23). The second imaging section is provided substantially at a center of an apparatus main surface (an operation surface), which is formed by the inner surface of the first housing and an inner surface of the second housing when the imaging apparatus is opened, in a left-right direction.
In a sixth aspect, the imaging apparatus may further comprise a plurality of operation buttons (buttons 14A to 14F). The plurality of operation buttons are provided on the inner surface of the first housing and on a right side and a left side of the second imaging section.
In a seventh aspect, the imaging apparatus may further comprise a display section (a lower LCD 12) and a plurality of operation buttons (the buttons 14A to 14F). The display section has a display screen which is provided substantially at a center of the inner surface of the first housing in a left-right direction. The plurality of operation buttons are provided on the inner surface of the first housing and on a left side and a right side of the display screen.
In an eighth aspect, the imaging apparatus may further comprise a display section (the lower LCD 12), a coordinate input section (a touch panel 13), and a control section (a CPU 31). The display section has a display screen which is provided in the inner surface of the first housing. The coordinate input section is an input device operable to input coordinates on the display screen. The control section displays a predetermined image on the display screen, and records an image taken by the first imaging section when an input by the coordinate input section is performed in an area of the predetermined image.
In a ninth aspect, the control section may display the predetermined image so as to be located substantially at a center of the first housing in a left-right direction.
In a tenth aspect, the first housing may have a length in a left-right direction which is equal to or larger than 100 mm and which is equal to or smaller than 150 mm, and a length in an up-down direction which is equal to or larger than 60 mm and which is equal to or smaller than 90 mm.
According to the first aspect, by providing the photographing button on the side surface of the first housing on a side where the first housing is connected to the second housing, a user can press the photographing button with an index finger while holding the first housing by contacting the inner surface of the first housing with a thumb and an outer surface of the first housing with a middle finger, and the like (see FIGS. 6 and 7). According to this, since the user can press the photographing button while firmly holding the first housing, the button is easy to press when a photographing operation is performed, and hand movement is unlikely to occur. Thus, according to the first aspect, operability of the photographing operation with respect to the foldable imaging apparatus can be improved.
Further, according to the first aspect, since the photographing button is provided on the side surface of the first housing, it is possible to perform the photographing operation even in a state where the imaging apparatus is placed on the outer surface of the first housing. It is noted that since the imaging section is provided in the second housing, the user can freely change a photographing direction even in a state where the imaging apparatus is placed.
According to the second aspect, since the first imaging section is provided in the second housing, the photographing direction can be changed by changing an angle of the second housing with respect to the first housing. Further, since the first imaging section is provided in the outer surface of the second housing, an image can be taken in a direction which is the same as a view line direction of the user.
Since the user presses the photographing button provide on the side surface of the first housing with an index finger as described above, there is a fear that the index finger is located within an imaging range of the first imaging section depending on a position of the first imaging section. However, according to the third aspect, since the first imaging section is located on a side distant from the connection portion with the first housing, the index finger can be prevented from being located within the imaging range of the first imaging section.
According to the fourth aspect, since the photographing buttons are provided on the left and right ends of the side surface, respectively, the user can easily press either photographing button even when holding the imaging apparatus with either a right hand or a left hand. Thus, according to the fourth aspect, the user can easily perform the photographing operation regardless of handedness.
According to the fifth aspect, since the second imaging section is provided on the apparatus main surface, an image is taken in a direction toward the user by the second imaging section. Further, since the second imaging section is provided substantially at the center of the apparatus main surface in the left-right direction, the user can easily adjust the imaging apparatus at an appropriate position in the left-right direction, for example, when taking an image of the user, or the like.
According to the sixth aspect, by providing the operation buttons on the inner surface of the first housing, the user can hold the imaging apparatus while contacting the operation buttons with thumbs. Since the operation buttons are provided outward of the second imaging section (in the left-right direction), the thumbs of the user contact the operation buttons at positions outward of the second imaging section. Thus, according to the sixth aspect, a possibility that the thumbs are located within an imaging range of the second imaging section can be lowered (naturally without particularly making the user aware of this).
According to the seventh aspect, by providing the operation buttons on the inner surface of the first housing, the user can hold the imaging apparatus while contacting the operation buttons with thumbs. Here, since the operation buttons are provided on the left and right sides of the display section, the thumbs of the user contact the operation buttons at positions outward of the display section. Thus, according to the seventh aspect, the thumbs are prevented from disturbing a display by locating the thumbs on the display screen of the display section (naturally without particularly making the user aware of this).
According to the eighth aspect, the user is able to perform a photographing operation by the coordinate input section provided on the inner surface of the first housing. According to this, the user can easily perform a photographing operation even when the imaging apparatus is placed on the outer surface of the first housing. Thus, by making it possible to perform a photographing operation using the coordinate input section, it is unnecessary to operate the photographing button with an index finger, and the photographing operation can be easily performed in various holding manners (e.g. in a holding manner in which the second housing is down).
According to the ninth aspect, since the predetermined image to be touched when the user performs a photographing operation is displayed substantially at the center of the first housing, the user can easily perform an operation even when performing an operation with respect to the touch panel with either a right hand or a left hand. Thus, according to the ninth aspect, even when performing a photographing operation in a state where the imaging apparatus is placed on the outer surface of the first housing, the user can easily perform the photographing operation regardless of handedness.
According to the tenth aspect, by making a length of the first housing an appropriate length, such as making the length of the first housing in the left-right direction equal to or larger than 100 mm and equal to or smaller than 150 mm, and making the length of the first housing in the up-down direction equal to or larger than 60 mm and equal to or smaller than 90 mm, the imaging apparatus can have a shape which is easy to hold when held with either one hand or both hands. In other words, according to the tenth aspect, the imaging apparatus does not become hard to hold with one hand by having a shape which is too long in the left-right direction, and does not become hard to hold with both hands by having a shape which is too short in the left-right direction. Further, since the first housing has such a length in the up-down direction that the first housing fits into a palm, it is easy for the user to hold the imaging apparatus when holding the imaging apparatus with either one hand or both hands.
These and other features, aspects and advantages of the exemplary embodiments will become more apparent from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.